Categories for Round 1

When you enter Round 1 of the Talent Quest, we ask you to pick one of three broad categories for your submission. Here’s why.

Most public radio stations around the country program in formats – schedules of programming that appeals to a specific kind of listener. The three broad formats at most stations are talk, entertainment, and music. Talent Quest is using these three formats as a way to organize the contest. All formats are equal in the Quest, any entries are encouraged in any of the three.

We’re not including News/Information as a category even though it’s a big format for public radio, because it’s driven much more by reporting and journalism than hosting, and isn’t as well suited for developing pilots.

Please consider this information as a broad guide. We welcome entries in all three categories, and whether or not the something “fits” into the category you assign it will have no impact on the judging.

Here’s a bit more definition of each of our three categories:

Talk

Talk on public radio usually takes the form of a local or national talk show (like Talk of the Nation) or a commentary like you’d hear on All Things Considered. Thinking more broadly, talk could include hosting a program like Fresh Air, or an interview program on community radio. A talk host is usually someone who can ask smart questions, guide a conversation, or have a unique perspective on the world or a specific topic of interest.

Well known radio talk hosts include Terry Gross, Tavis Smiley, Howard Stern and Dr. Laura.

Entertainment

Entertainment programs on public radio are a very broad mix. Car Talk and A Prairie Home Companion are likely the best known, along with Ira Glass and This American Life. Entertainment programs often include humor (Whad’ya Know) and sometimes music (American Routes). Sometimes entertainment programs are about a specific thing (The Splendid Table), but more often they include a range of elements (Weekend America or Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me). Most entertainment programs are nationally distributed, but there are a few local entertainment programs including Live Wire on Oregon Public Broadcasting, and Southern Remedy from Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

Well known radio entertainment hosts include Peter Segal, Ira Glass, Ryan Seacrest, Michael Feldman, Lynne Rosetto Kasper, and Faith Salie.

Music

This is the category where DJ’s and announcers get to show their stuff. Music programs include everything from spinning CD’s (any kind of music) to a mix of music with interviews (The World Cafe or Echoes). If the Quest can find the next great Classical, AAA or Jazz host, or the DJ that gets people talking about DJ’s again, we’ll be very happy.

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